GC Volleyball Digs Dignity Harbor
Published: April 13, 2021
The Greenville College Volleyball team has been an influence in the GC community for years, but recently decided to branch out to impact the lives of individuals elsewhere.
On Sunday, February 13, the Panthers traveled to St. Louis to help a homeless community that has come to be known as Dignity Harbor. The self-respecting name is undeniably fitting to the group of individuals that were met that day. OG, the community "leader", is steadfast in his mission to bring dignity to the Harbor residents and is committed to a hardworking and drug-free lifestyle for all who choose to live in the extraordinary community.
Dignity Harbor started as a very small group of tents and has grown to a small community of shanties, a communal kitchen, porta-potties, and a make-shift shower. During their short visit, the GC team helped where they could and had their hands in projects such as; moving and laying mulch, building a shanty, making lunch, sorting donated clothing, and splitting wood. The impact was evident to captain Hannah Groves as she had this to say about the day: "It's a beautiful thing when people get together. We might sleep in a spacious two story house at night and they might lay their head in a tent, but when you are all standing around eating hotdogs, talking and laughing, there doesn't seem to be much difference. I think God was smiling on his children while they worked together."
What impacted the Greenville team more than anything is that the Dignity Harbor community, although homeless themselves, is working to help others who are living on the streets. "It's extremely moving to see people who literally have nothing, give away the things that were given to them," said Greenville freshman Mariah Thomas as she summarized the day. "These people are extremely compassionate and I felt so honored to be working beside them and to be able to help them in their time of need".
"It was a great, eye-opening experience for the team," explains head coach Tom Ackerman. "More than anything I was proud of the way the girls were willing to delve into their tasks with great attitudes. It is something we definitely plan on doing again."
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